Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1887-01-05
governor stookIey's Long Talk.

We can bear with Governor Stock
ley's address In which there 10 won.
derfui redundancy Of words mingled
with q small modicum Of ref orn re
Oom mendAtions,i In view Of the fact that
In Less than two weeks another Govern
or will have taken hold OF the reins OF
State aud IN inaugural address will
have been delivered that will have m
entirely different ring in II on the sui
ject OF general needed reforms, except
perhap the Temperance question, and
even upon that Governor Biggs can 60
q II tie farther without committing any
overt s,t that will bring upon him any
sweeping condemnation from the oppo-
nents OF Temperance reform. Governor
fStockley's message, however. is fully
In keeping with the vie W OF that fac
ton OF the Democratic party TO which
he 10 allied. Reform In hon e oAthic
doses WAS blocked out for him by the
leaders of that wing Of his party. The
remodeled report on reform Issued by
tho Young Mems Democratic Club OF
this city was promulgated 90 near the
slime that Governor Stockley is suppos-
ed TO have been rAcking his brain for
something to say about reform, that
WAS not reform, that collusion between
the two might naturally be suspected.
The Governor very clearly would
have nothing to do with Constitution
oil Con vention and plainly warns the
Legislature against the dangerous ques-
tions floating in the public mind, all
pressing for attention, which would,
when once the way was opened, expose
our little State to great dangers. What
these imaginary dangers were the Gov
ernor does not say, but they can be
very easily surmised. In lieu Of .
State Constitutional Con vention to
amend the Constitution In any manner,
he would prefer amendments through
the legislature.
The latter would be q body more
easily controlled than a Constitutional
Convention, more easily ruled by the
dictstions Of par .isAn leaders OF the
Democratic party and made subser Went
to partisan purposes. He may have
thought OF substituting Q two-third
vote OF each houss of the Legislature
for three-fourth vote to rstify Leg.
islative ameud ment first, or the Young
Mems Democratic Clup may have
thought OF 1t first. II Is hard 10 tell
which prompted the other, but they
come in 30 suspiciously close together
that we are safe in predicting that the
recon mended two-third amendment
will be tortured into one OF the great
reform measures OF the present Legisls-
ture. District represen alton and the
election OF all county and State officials
is not touched upon, but left for the
incoming Governor to handle. Besides
the constitutional amendment, the tenn
persnce question sizes up as Of second
airy Importance. but upon this subjs oct
the Governor has nothing new to offer.
The license laws We have, In his esti-
NATION, are good enough II they were
enforced, and il they are not stringent
enough, why, make them more 80. The
Governors Recommendation In regard
TO more liberal support of tho S ate
volunteer militia, buildings for the in
sane, State prison, praise OF the pub
lie schools, aid for Delaware College,
hts action to counterfeit the pleuro-
pneumonia amongst cattle, aid for the
State Board Of Health, and the estab.
iishment OF State b ard Of Azricul.
ture, should and We have no doubt will
meet With hearty, favorable response
from the people OF the State.